Music Festival
The Music Festival in Santa Venerina, in the heart of Mount Etna
About Music Festival
The Music Festival in Santa Venerina
The Music Festival is the major international event dedicated to music that, every year around June 21st, brings squares, churches, and cultural venues across Italy to life. In Santa Venerina, a town in the Province of Catania nestled on the eastern slopes of Mount Etna, the event takes on the intimate and reflective tones of choral singing, a tradition deeply rooted in this Sicilian village.
"The Guardians of Song" and the 2026 theme
The 2026 edition features a choral concert titled "The Guardians of Song," included in the official calendar of the Italian Music Festival and promoted by Feniarco APS, the Italian National Federation of Regional Choral Associations. The theme chosen for 2026, "The Voice of Places," pays tribute to choirs as guardians of identity, memory, and social cohesion, capable of giving voice to the history and roots of every community.
A singing community
Santa Venerina boasts a vibrant choral life, with groups such as the Don Antonino Maugeri Polyphonic Choir and the Maria SS. Immacolata Choir, which have always been key players on the local music scene. The concert is hosted in the Church of Maria SS. Immacolata, a venue with intimate acoustics that enhances the voices and the spiritual dimension of the sacred and folk repertoire performed.
A free event open to all
Like the entire Music Festival, the Santa Venerina event is free and open to everyone, fostering a climate of participation and sharing. The initiative is part of a broader project by the Ministry of Culture, which transforms Italy into a vast, widespread stage every year and connects over 180 choral concerts across all regions.
Santa Venerina and the Etna territory
Immersed in vineyards and lava flows, Santa Venerina is a prime destination for those wishing to discover Mount Etna and its food and wine excellence. The Music Festival offers the ideal opportunity to combine the exploration of the Etna region with an evening of high artistic quality, in the spirit of the Sicilian choral tradition.
Music Festival — edition 2026
The 2026 Music Festival in Santa Venerina took place on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM, with the choral concert titled "The Guardians of Song." The event was promoted by Feniarco APS and included in the official Italian Music Festival calendar, under the 2026 theme "The Voice of Places," dedicated to choirs as guardians of the identity and memory of the territories.
The evening highlighted the rich choral tradition of Santa Venerina, a town in the Province of Catania on the slopes of Mount Etna, with a repertoire that blended sacred and folk music. Admission was free, in keeping with the participatory spirit of the national event promoted by the Ministry of Culture.
Programme Music Festival 2026
Highlights Music Festival 2026
Prices Music Festival 2026
Practical information — Music Festival
When
The Music Festival is held in Santa Venerina in conjunction with the national event on June 21st, with the choral concert taking place on the days dedicated to it.
Where
Church of Maria SS. Immacolata, Santa Venerina (Province of Catania), on the slopes of Mount Etna, about 20 km northeast of Catania.
How to get there
Santa Venerina can be reached by car via the A18 Messina-Catania motorway (Giarre exit) and the state road 114. The nearest train station is Giarre-Riposto.
Admission
Admission is free and open to all.
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Where does it take place — Music Festival
Chiesa Maria SS. Immacolata